Hope for better service

Dawn Gibson
Thursday, April 17, 2014

SHAREEN Ali has lived her whole life in Fiji and says with the coming election, she hopes to see more emphasis placed on the country's health sector.

In an interview, Mrs Ali explained because her husband suffered from kidney failure, dialysis treatment was almost a daily routine for the pair, and the financial burden it placed on them and their son was very high.

She said while she was grateful to the Health Ministry and the government for efforts they had put into helping people with dialysis in Fiji, she hoped more emphasis would be placed on this sector.

She said her son had paid about $100,000 last year towards medical fees for her husband's condition.

This bill includes blood tests, blood transfusions and other tests associated with blood cleansing.

Mrs Ali said her husband's kidney problem was discovered when they were in Sydney last year and that it had since placed her family in a difficult financial situation.

Sitting with Mrs Ali was Pushpa Wati, whose husband is also suffering from kidney failure and she said while Fiji was a lovely country, she hoped that essential services (water, electricity, food) could be improved following elections.